Scarlett Johansson reveals how reshoots drastically changed Black Widow’s fate in Avengers: Endgame

Black Widow trailer — (Image credit: Marvel)

It’s been nearly a year since we witnessed some of our favourite heroes tragically die in Avengers: Endgame, Now Scarlett Johansson is here to pick at those wounds, revealing Black Widow’s fate could have ended very differently.

The actor told Entertainment Weekly that her character’s demise changed multiple times in reshoots, with one version seeing Black Widow chased down by “an army of Dementor-type creatures.”

“I was thinking, ‘Parents will never forgive us for how these creatures look,” said Johansson. Are you picturing the super-spy running from enemies on the Hogwarts Express? Us too.

Late last year a deleted scene was released featuring another alternate death for the quick-witted Avenger. In suitably heroic slow-motion, Black Widow is overwhelmed by Thanos’ minions before she even makes it to the cliff edge on Vormir. However, both these sequences felt too busy in an already action-packed movie, and thankfully the scene evolved into an emotional confrontation instead. Johansson explains: “We wanted to leave [the audience] with the weight of that loss and the shock of it.”

Over the last decade, fans have watched Black Widow go from a conflicted superspy with her guard up to an avenging hero who sacrifices herself to save the universe. The scene that finally made it to cinemas was a perfect tribute to that. Co-director Anthony Russo previously told Inverse why they changed the scene from epic showdown to quiet tragedy: “We started spit-balling: isn’t the best version of this scene Hawkeye versus Back Widow? We have two heroes, neither of whom is gonna let the other die?”

The two characters have always had a special relationship outside of the Avengers group, having worked together for years prior. As we saw in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hawkeye’s children even affectionately call her Auntie Nat, making her death all the more heartbreaking. Russo continued: “We wanted to make it Black Widow’s final test with Hawkeye, a character who she’s been so close to.”

Thankfully, though, fans won’t have to wait too much longer to see their favourite steely red-head again as the Black Widow movie is almost here. The upcoming film looks to provide context for the events between Infinity War and Endgame, with the eponymous hero visiting home for the first time on screen. Johansson was initially reluctant to make the movie at all, confessing: “I don’t want to do the same thing that I’d already done before.”

If the script convinced her to come back, then hopefully we can expect big things from Black Widow, which reaches cinemas May 1. In the meantime, check out more of the best upcoming movies of 2020.

Millicent Thomas was once a freelance games and film journalist, writing for publications including GamesRadar, Total Film, Space.com, GamesIndustry.biz, Wireframe, Little White Lies, Culturess, SciFiNow, and more. She is now in international PR and marketing.